Driving licence holders, take note: New rules may change your card details

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The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now. Read Today's Paper Driving licence holders, take note: New rules may change your card details, documents needed & online services; check what the govt proposesET OnlineLast Updated: Oct 23, 2026, 11:40:00 AM ISTSynopsis

Driving licence news: The government has proposed major changes to India's driving licence rules, including colour-coded licences for Indian and foreign nationals, a higher safe-driving assessment pass mark of 75% and mandatory details such as blood group and emergency contact information. The draft also proposes stricter document verification, possible fee waivers for certain online services using Aadhaar authentication and fixed timelines for processing applications to update licence details. Here is what could change if the proposals are approved.

Driving licences in India could soon carry more details about the holder, including nationality, blood group, mobile number and emergency contact information, under a set of changes proposed by the road transport ministry. The draft rules also suggest different colour schemes for licences issued to Indian and foreign nationals, stricter requirements for the safe-driving tutorial assessment and changes to the documents accepted as proof of age, address and identity. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued the draft notification proposing amendments to the Motor Vehicles Rules. The changes are intended to reduce the use of false documents, improve the assessment process and make certain driving licence services easier to access online.

Driving licences may have separate colours for Indians and foreigners

One of the key proposals is to introduce separate colour schemes for driving licences issued to Indian citizens and foreign nationals. The nationality of the licence holder would also be mentioned on the document.

Read more - Driving licence new rules: 75% pass mark, 15-day deadline for name & address changes, some online services may be free; check what could change soon

The draft further proposes making it mandatory for driving licences to carry the holder's blood group, mobile number and emergency contact details. These additions would provide more information about the licence holder on the document itself.

The proposals are part of a wider effort to revise the driving licence system and strengthen verification requirements.

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Driving licence test: Passing mark may rise from 60% to 75%

The ministry has proposed increasing the qualifying score for the online safe-driving tutorial assessment from the current 60% to 75%. Under the draft rules, the tutorial would need to last at least 30 minutes. The higher pass mark is intended to make the assessment more stringent and strengthen the focus on road safety.

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The proposed changes would affect the assessment requirements under the revised driving licence regime if they are finalised and implemented.

Affidavits and life insurance policies may no longer be accepted as proof

The draft proposes removing the option of using affidavits sworn before an executive magistrate, judicial magistrate or notary public as proof of age and address when applicants cannot provide documents from the prescribed list. Life insurance policies would also no longer be accepted as proof.

At present, licensing authorities may accept such affidavits if applicants are unable to produce any of the listed documents. However, the proposed changes would place greater emphasis on documents that can be independently verified.

As per a TOI report, motor vehicle licensing expert Anil Chhikara said affidavits were being phased out after they were misused to provide false addresses and dates of birth. Applicants would now have to submit verifiable documents as proof, he said.

Which documents may be accepted for driving licences?

The draft sets out separate lists of documents that applicants could use to establish their age, address and identity.

For proof of address, the listed documents include Aadhaar, the Electoral Photo Identity Card, an e-ration card, electricity or gas bills for the preceding three months, and proof of legal presence for foreign nationals.

For proof of age, acceptable documents include passports, school board mark sheets, birth certificates and identity cards issued by government departments.

For proof of identity, the list includes Aadhaar, passports, e-ration cards and PAN.

The proposed lists would make document verification more structured and reduce reliance on affidavits or other forms of proof that may be harder to verify.

Driving licence changes online: Fees may be waived for Aadhaar users

The ministry has also proposed waiving fees for specified driving licence services when applicants use online Aadhaar authentication.

These services would include changes to a licence holder's address, name and contact number. The proposal aims to make updates to personal details more accessible through online services.

The draft also provides for greater use of information already available on the Sarathi portal, the government's platform for driving licence-related services. A consolidated application form is proposed for services such as licence renewal, issuing duplicate licences, adding a vehicle class and changing personal particulars.

Specified applicant details would be retrieved electronically from Sarathi wherever the information is available.

Driving licence applications: Proposed 15-day deadline for decisions

Under the draft, licensing authorities would have to approve or reject online applications to change driving licence particulars, including the holder's name and address, within 15 days. If an application is rejected, the authority would have to provide reasons for the decision.

The proposal also introduces a provision for address-change applications that remain undecided for 30 days to be treated as approved.

These measures are intended to provide clearer timelines for processing applications and reduce uncertainty for people seeking to update their licence details.

What licence holders should know

The changes are proposals under a draft notification and should not be treated as rules already in force. The final requirements will depend on the outcome of the rule-making process and the government's decision on the amendments.

If adopted, the changes would affect the information displayed on driving licences, the documents applicants need to submit, the safe-driving tutorial assessment and the process for updating licence details online. Applicants should check official Ministry of Road Transport and Highways updates for the final rules and their implementation dates.

Inputs from TOI
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Read More News ondriving licence new rules Indiadriving licence rules 2026driving licence changes IndiaIndian driving licence nationalitydriving licence documents requireddriving licence test passing marksAadhaar driving licence servicesdriving licence online applicationMinistry of Road Transport and Highways

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Read More News ondriving licence new rules Indiadriving licence rules 2026driving licence changes IndiaIndian driving licence nationalitydriving licence documents requireddriving licence test passing marksAadhaar driving licence servicesdriving licence online applicationMinistry of Road Transport and Highways

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